Soil Biology, Water Quality, and Climate Change

Matthew Ried

Assistant Professor
Cornell University
School of Civil and
Environmental Engineering

Assistant Professor Reid discussed how the “unseen majority” of microorganisms in soils have an outsized influence on chemical pollutants that make their way into waterways, and on the emission of gases that contribute to climate change. There was also a discussion on how humans can change the makeup of these microbial communities, with either positive or negative results. The session included a demonstration on how we can determine the types of microorganisms that are present in different types of soils.